Traveling valve



July 28, 1936.

F. 1.. MA lRE TRAVELING VALVE Filed Feb. 16, 1935 f/IlllI/ll/lll'lfl/'l/llllllllllll .Illlllflllllilfi'l'lfflllll'Il/IIIllllllflllllllill'llllhlfflffl! rlllllflllll Frank L. Maire Patented July 28, 1936 i 2,049,165

UNlTED STATES PATENT oFricE 2,049,166 TRAVELING VALVE Frank L. Maire, Lima, Ohio Application February 16, 1935, Serial No. 6,795

3 Claims. (Cl. 103-225) This invention relates to liquid pumping valves Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line IIII and more particularly to traveling valves of the of Fig. l, and

multi-cup type used in the usual barrel for pump- Fig. 3is. a vertical section through one of the ing oil or water. valve rings. Heretofore known valves of the above design Referring to the drawing, the reference charhave been unsatisfactory for the reason that, in acter I indicates a barrel of the usual type joined operation, the top cup usually did all of the work to the bottom of a well tubing, in which the travwhile the lower ones remained idle and dried out. cling valve is vertically reciprocated by any suit- This condition, though general, was particularly able pumping mechanism such as a jack or a I true when the supply of liquid being pumped bebeam located at the surface of the earth. The

came exhausted, leaving merely a column of traveling valve comprises a tubular body 2 havliquid in the barrel and tubing above the valve. ing threaded to its lower end a lower cage 3 and As the result of this faulty operation, the dry cups o its ppe end a ball C g A ball 5 is disposed below the top one soon burned out. Obviously, Within the ball a a d a y re on a the seal provided by a single cup was poor and the seating ring 6. A threaded projection 7 formed liquid being pumped escaped around the single on the top of the ball page 4 to which a sucker rod, cup in operation, reducing the efliciency of the t sh wn, pas ing up through the tubing con valve. Furthermore, when il as bein ump d, nected to the barrel, is connected for providing an its escape past the cup caused it to become more operative connection between the traveling valve orless emulsified with water present, or what is nd-th p mp m c ani m. Di p n h known as roiley. The roiley oil in the output from body 2 e e he lower edge 3 d e ball the well lowered its quality and consequently its was 4 are slidably di p d a plurality of al e v h nately arranged valve cups 8 and valve rings 9. The cause for the above indicated trouble revwe 0. fo p oses of d s n, s used above sides in the fact that the cups below the top one the p valve p in place of a v v i g 9- are not properly lubricated, and have nothing to In operation, dur ow ward movement of force them against the wall of the barrel in which the traveling Valve, h liquid D ped p s they work. Attempts have been made to overlativ y upw d h u the tubular body 2 come the lack of lubrication in the lower cups of endpest h be'ilshesk valve a e per end of traveling valves by admitting oil behind them the y 2 c p s d byt e ba l 5 and the seatfrom the hollow center of the valve body. This hg i g p ver al of movement of the method, however, has been a failure for the r'eabody 2 an upward direction, the ball 5 seats son that valves designed for this operation are on the seating ring 6 preventingr he escape of not only too complicated to be commercially liquid through the Center of e b dy 2. The practical, but also are necessarily of such design function of the cups is to prevent the c pe of that they become inoperative by reason of sand liquid between the Valve y 2 and the barrel I and foreign particles choking the internal pasfrom the barrel I and tubing above the traveling sages. valve. The structure thus far broadly described An object of the invention is, therefore, to over- Comprises t e traveling Valve in eneral use toi come the above difiiculties by providiing passage day, but it unsatisfactory o reasons above 40 ways on the exterior of the standard traveling stated: as only the upper D 3 acts to prevent valve body t d t portion f t liquid the escape of liquid between the body 2 and the pumped in the barrel and the tubing above the barrel valve cups, to the space behind all of the valve According to this invention, the body 2 is p cups to lubricate them and to force them into Vided withoplulality 0f axially extending grooves tight engagement with the barrel wall, I5 in its outside surface. Also the valve rings 9 Another object of the invention is to provide a are provided with a plurality of a y extendtraveling valve having self lubricating cups. bores and internal annular ooves I! These and other objects will be apparent from communicatin with the bores I6. The axially the following specification when taken with the extending grooves the annular grooves II, accompanying drawing in which and the radially extending bores I6 form a plu- Fig. 1 is a sided elevation of the improved travrality of p ssa m the pa e n the barrel I eling valve partially in section to show details of and the tubing, above the valve cups 8, to the the construction, space behind each cup 8. The passages thus 55 formed conduct liquid from above the cups 8 to the spaces behind the cups 8.

This liquid is under a pressure equal to the weight of liquid in the tubing above the barrel and consequently is great enough to force the cups 8 tightly against the barrel I and to keep them constantly lubricated. This liquid also serves as a cushion reinforcing and strengthening the cups, thereby increasing their life and efiiciency. The result is that they do not'dry or burn out and as all the cups Work together, the efficiency of the valve is greatly increased that is the valve operates for a period very much ,barrel. wall.

greater than the period for which a valve will operate when the axial grooves and passageways are not provided. l

It should be noted that the size, of the axial grooves and passageways conducting liquid to behind the cups 8 should be restricted, as for instance as shown, so that by their size and the tortuous course defined thereby there results a lesser pressure at the last cup than'at the top" cup, and the tendency of liquid to leak past the last cup is reduced. The tendency to leak past the last cup is less than the tendency to leak past the first cup also for the reason that the last cup is not subject to thedirect impulse or shock due to the inertia of the head of liquid above the entire valve when thevalve changes from traveling downwardly to traveling upwardly, as

plurality of axially extending grooves in the surface of the body 2, it is contemplated that a single axially" extending straight, or spiral groove may be use'di Furthermore, the liquid conducting passages may be appropriately disposed in valve cups alone orin the valve cups and valve rings, if desired rather than asshown. I therefore do not wish to be limited except by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

-- 1. A traveling valve for use in a barrel for body :for providing a liquid tight seal between said body and the barrel in which it works, valve rings disposed on said body spacing said cups, an axially extending groove in the surface of said body providing a communication along said body with the space in the barrel above said cups, internal annular grooves in said rings in communication with said axially extending groove, and ports in said rings providing communication between said cups and said annular grooves, wherebya portion ofthe liquid pumped into the barrel above'isaid. cups passes through-said groove, annular groove and ports to said cups to lubricate the same and to force them outwardly against the "2. Atraveling valve for use in a barrel for pumping-liquid comprising a body, an inner bore defined thereby through which liquid pumped passes, a check valve at the upper end of said body for; checking downward flow of liquid through said bore, a plurality of valve cups disuidpumped from above said cups to said cups and saidchambers for lubricating said cups and the barrel walland for forcing said cups against the ba'rrel wall;

-3.*'A"tra'veling valv'e for'use in a barrel for pumping liquid comprising a body, an inner bore defined thereby through which liquid pumped passes, a plurality of regularly functioning valve cups disposed on said body for providing a liquid tightseal'between said body and barrel in which itworksfval-ve-rings disposed on saidbody spacingsaid-cups, ad'jacent'cups defining, with the spacing ring therebetween, chambers each having asid ethereof defin'ed by said barrel, an axially extending groove inthe surface of said body pro- VIding acommuniQation along said body with the space in the barrel above said cups, and passages in s'aid valve rings providing a communication between said groove and said chambers for conducting a' portion 'offthe liquid pumped intothe barrel abovesaid cups to said cups and chambers to-lubricate the cups and the barrel wall and to forceithe cups outwardly against the barrel wall.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,G49,l66. July 28, 1956.

FRANK L. MAIRE.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, second column, line 16, for "page" read cage; and page 2, second column, line 23, claim 2, for "chamber" read chambers; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of September, A. D. 1936.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

